Chapter 4: Chapter 4

“Mr. Sullivan!” Anthony finally managed to catch up, though his breathing was audibly erratic as he tried to keep up with Morgan's footsteps. “Please leave her here and accompany me to one of our suites. I'm sure we'll be able to find a comfy robe she can wear while we ask one of the maids to put her clothes in the dryer. We may even take this extra time to further discuss some contract details. Frankly, the stipulated participation fees are a bit...”

“Oh, Anthony, frankly, is this time to talk business?” Samantha interrupted him, making Morgan and Charlie snort at the same time “The poor man is already having to solve the problems that his daughter caused and he will still have to put up with his talk all night?” she questioned, sounding deeply asleep, before her voice was taken by a sweetness that even a child would be able to identify as false “Let me personally arrange the robe and everything else he needs...”

"I appreciate it, Mrs. Manson..." Morgan began to growl, disgusted. "But...”

"It's okay, Mr. Sullivan.” Charlie rushed to say, touching her cheek to get her attention, which immediately left the skin in that place warmer “You can leave me here. I don't want you to catch a cold because you're walking around wet because of me. Also…” With a whisper, she leaned closer to his ear, pretending to turn around in his arms so she could stand on her own two feet. “Go to the suite with blue details on the footer of the door. The maids always leave extra robes there and the door can be locked from the inside. That way neither of you will have any excuse to bother you.”

With that last sentence, she moved out of his arms and he immediately cursed the sense of loss and longing her warmth and weight left in her arms.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He glanced at the door closest to the balcony over there, uncomfortably.

“Me and Waffles are fine. Now all we need are bandages and dry clothes, just like you.” seeming totally oblivious to the irritated looks her father and stepmother were giving her, Charlie poked him in the chest, motioning him to step aside. "Oh, and thank you so much for your help." a deep red under her freckles, she started limping towards the bedroom, the bunny in her hands and Morgan once again had to stop himself from running after her and taking her in his arms once more, to make sure nothing would ever be able to harm her again.

Shaking his head, he tried to dispel that strange, intense feeling of protection that that girl seemed to have awakened within him, as he hurried to walk away from Samantha and Anthony, towards the room that Charlie had indicated to him. As promised, he found several bathrobes as soon as he opened the wardrobe and any other excuses the couple could come up with to continue taking up their time were immediately overturned by just one look from him.

However, even when he finally found himself alone and dry inside the room, the image of Charlie bouncing unsteadily on one foot did not leave him, continuing to haunt him to the point that to stand there, while she was somewhere in need of help, became unbearable. And not even the thought that it wasn't exactly right for a 31-year-old man to go into the bedroom of a 17-year-old girl he had just met couldn't stop him.

Cautiously, scanning each direction of the hallway before finally exiting the room completely to make sure Samantha Manson wasn't lurking somewhere nearby to try and prey on him again, Morgan made his way through the labyrinth of long white walls, with cheap marble details. It was obvious that this place had once been stately and luxurious, but now it was nothing more than a laughable caricature of wealth, trying to feign an opulence that the worn furniture and antiquated decorations could no longer support.

It wasn't news to anyone who knew Anthony Manson that he wasn't good at managing money. In fact, the most fervent comments said that he was nothing more than a cheap gigolo who, after seducing and marrying the daughter of a tycoon, got involved in an infinite number of dead-end businesses that, over the years, consumed him. a fortune which, so Anthony's father-in-law's admirers believed, was too great to be squandered so easily. Anthony, of course, proved them wrong, as Morgan can see firsthand by analyzing his past business dealings in the months they spent negotiating the partnership. It wouldn't be surprising if, in little more than a year or two, he disappeared with all the money Morgan would give him while they were partners.

And then Charlie would be helpless.

Confused and dismayed by why the idea made him so terribly uncomfortable, Morgan finally found himself in the hallway he'd seen Charlie limping through earlier. And the mere sight of the balcony beyond made his chest tighten even more at the prospect that this girl was alone in her room, perhaps in need of help, but completely alone. With nothing but a rundown mansion and completely remiss parents he couldn't count on.

“Charlie? It is me.” he tried to swallow the anxiety and keep his voice steady, when finally he knocked softly on the bedroom door and called her, with a murmur “Are you all right?”

“ Mr. Sullivan?” a surprised gasp sounded from across the room, followed by the dull thud of something heavy hitting the floorboards; most likely a body, what affliction tightens his throat even more.

“Are you okay?!” he asked once more, this time not being able to bother keeping his voice down as he tried to turn the doorknob, only to find it locked. "Are you hurt?"

"No... I'm fine." Charlie murmured and it was with relief that he realized that the hoarseness in her voice seemed to come much more from the fact that she was more embarrassed than anything else “I'll open the door, just a second.”

Surprised with himself, he found himself containing the seconds, literally, until she opened the door, to try to contain the urge to see her with his own eyes and check if she was really all right. Which was ridiculous, of course, since not only did her voice make it pretty clear that nothing serious had happened, but they'd only known each other for just under an hour. Which made that heightened sense of protectiveness within him all the more unnecessary and incomprehensible.

Still, even knowing all this, he had already counted down 38 seconds when the door finally opened and Charlie spied him across the threshold, wearing a robe similar to his and her hair still a little damp spread over her shoulders. Her big brown eyes were full of curiosity, but also a little bit of joy that she seemed to be trying to hide for some reason.

"Did you come all the way over here to scold me for getting you wet?" Despite the teasing tone, Morgan clearly sensed real apprehension in the question.

Apparently, not only had his sense of protection been heightened after meeting Charlotte Manson, but also his perception in general. He wondered if the others also found this girl to be an adorable open book, unable to disguise her expressions and hide her feelings, or if it was something that only he had noticed.

“No, I didn't come here to fight you, dear.” the affectionate expression slipped from his tongue before he could control himself, influenced by the tightness in his chest when he realized that that reaction must mean that she was very used to reprimands “I came here to see if your foot was okay and if you I wasn't in need of help.”

“ Oh...” she widened her eyes, totally stunned for a few long seconds, until finally the blush took over her face “I... I'm fine... I just did a bandage” saying that, she lifted the ankle was a little covered in loose bands that, seeming to be just waiting for the right moment, unraveled completely and fell to the floor, leaving the purple and swollen mark on the exposed pale skin “Traitor ...” Charlie grumbled at the bandages “I thought we agreed that you weren't going to fall anymore…”

“Let me help you with that.” with a gentle laugh, he walked over and took her in his arms, in a movement so natural and thoughtless that he only realized he had committed it when he had already entered the room, closed the door behind them both and placed her on the bed “Is there any bandage left?” he asked, trying to hide his own embarrassment.

"They're in the bathroom…" she answered automatically, her cheeks flushed a deep pink. "But really, you don't have to…”

Before she could finish, however, he had already walked quickly to the bathroom counter, picked up the first aid kit that was on it and knelt down in front of the place where he had left her sitting on the bed. With extreme gentleness, he covered the wound with gauze and bandage, taking care to keep it tied with a knot tight enough to keep it in place but not tight enough to risk injuring her.

He would never forgive her if he ended up doing something that hurt her, even if it wasn't intentional.

"Wow, you're good at this!" she opened a huge smile in the direction of the bandage “This certainly won't come off so easily! As hard as I try, I can't learn to do one that well.” Charlie was still distracted, looking at her ankle, when he frowned, uncomfortable with what that phrase meant.

“Why would you need to do so many bandages? Do you get hurt a lot?”

“ No, it's not that...” she stammered, disconcerted “ It's just that I want to start volunteering at an institution that helps stray animals, so I have to practice some dressing techniques...” she hesitated for a moment , before sighing “And, since Samantha is very likely to spit venom about it... Let's just say that I... Sometimes...” Charlie made a point of pointing out, which forced him to tell a laugh “I have some decisions... A little impulsive. Which, most of the time, get me into some trouble.”

“Oh, you mean like jumping off a balcony after a rabbit?” he joked.

“Waffles could have been hurt even more if I hadn't protected him.” She let out an embarrassed snort, avoiding his gaze. "I regret nothing."

“I'm not saying you should regret or be ashamed of it.” He smiled fondly “Just promise me that the next time you find yourself in situations like this, you'll consider asking for help before giving in to those impulses.”

“Ask for help? To whom? The walls?” she scoffed.

"Your parents aren't very attentive, are they?" Morgan questioned slowly, though already knew the answer.

“They're not really my parents, period.” Charlie shrugged, unconcerned. "But don't worry. I'm used to taking care of myself, even if my healing skills aren't fully developed yet. I don't need not having someone to ask for help.”

“Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore, since now you have someone to turn to for help.” He smiled, slowly reaching out to stroke the top of her head.

“ What you mean?” she questioned him, sounding as if the breath was caught in her throat.

“Well, as your father's new partner, I'm going to need to come here constantly. Then you will have to get used to not only my presence, but also my help.” despite that being a lie, the glint of joy in her eyes let him know that he would move heaven and earth to make it come true “And I'll also try to talk to your parents so they realize how remiss they are being with you.”

“ Good luck with that.” Charlie snorted, ironic “Actually, you know what, don't even worry about it. This will not work.” she hesitated for a moment, before smiling shyly “I much prefer a sincere friend than a responsible partner trying to fix Anthony and Samantha.”

"Do you want us to be friends?" He smiled, delighted.

“ Well, I think it's a good name for someone who cares to bandage the girl who left him completely soaked, no?” Charlie joked, before biting her lip, unsure “But what about you, do you want to be my friend?”

“Absolutely, Charlie.” once again, he touched her head, this time allowing his fingers to linger a little longer in her hair, feeling its softness “From today, I promise you'll never be alone again, as long as I'm around.”.